power

Quick n’ dirty 220 volt converter

Quick n’ dirty 220 volt converter

This item was in a recent Cool Tools newsletter: When I moved into my apartment I found it had a through-the-wall air conditioner sleeve. I ignored it and installed my window air conditioner. When that old AC died about 3 years ago, I was told by the co-op board that the rules had changed and […]

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HTC Evo inductive charging mod

HTC Evo inductive charging mod

There’s something appealing about being able to set your mobile down and have it start charging without having to attache anything special to the device itself. Inspired by such simplicity, maker Infinitemods gutted a Palm Pre for the necessary parts and retrofitted a brand new HTC Evo to charge using a Palm Touchstone inductive charger.

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Bobbing naval generator runs “eternally” on ocean’s heat

Bobbing naval generator runs “eternally” on ocean’s heat

SOLO-TREC is outfitted with a series of tubes full of waxy phase-change materials. As the float encounters warm temperatures near the ocean’s surface, the materials expand; when it dives and the waters grow cooler, the materials contract. The expansion and contraction pressurizes oil, which drives a hydraulic motor. The motor generates electricity and recharges the batteries, which power a pump. The pump can change the float’s buoyancy, allowing it to move up and down the water column.

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UK folding plug

This ingenious folding power plug design efficiently shaves off the extra bulk of a standard UK 3-prong plug, while increasing safety and easy of use. It has recently been entered to compete for the 2009 James Dyson Award and has been determined a shortlisted entry.

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How-to: Greenbox no-waste charging station

How-to: Greenbox no-waste charging station

In this how-to Alberto Ricci Bitti shows you how to design a greenbox no-waste charging station for your mobile phone that will lower your utility costs and environmental impact. The simple and elegant design makes unplugging a power draining wall wart very easy and instinctive.

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Mega-Minty Boost?

Mega-Minty Boost?

Think of it as a Minty Big-Boost. Micah and a buddy are leaving on a cross-country trip and they don’t want their handheld gaming systems to run out of juice along the way, so he put together this battery powerpack using 12 Volt 7 AH Lead-calcium battery. They’re hoping to get some 30 hours of […]

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